rapine
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of rapine
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin rapīna robbery, pillage. See rape 1, -ine 2
Explanation
Use the noun rapine when you're talking about the deliberate destruction of a town or country during war, especially when it involves theft. Unfortunately, rapine is a part of most warfare — invading troops destroying buildings and homes as they advance, taking whatever they choose. It's more commonly called plunder or pillage, with rapine being used most often in a literary context. The Latin root is rapina, "act of robbery," which in turn comes from rapere, "seize" or "carry off."
Vocabulary lists containing rapine
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 1–7
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Paradise Lost
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He was far removed from the established neoclassical Parisian academicians, whose plump-fleshed vignettes of rapine, bustle, moments of battle and historical panoramas were the fine art of the day.
From Time Magazine Archive
Mr. Rickett's motive is interpreted by the less credulous as a desire to save Ethiopia, and incidentally his concession, from Italian rapine by putting new hope into the elements opposed to invasion.
From Time Magazine Archive
They were not notice-boards and gates—they were the insulting tokens of invasion and rapine and defeat.
From Mushroom Town by Oliver Onions
It is only to be regretted that their benevolent efforts are almost constantly paralysed by the rapine and insatiable cupidity of their stewards and agents.
From Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c. by Xavier Hommaire de Hell
As the armies were far below the strength required by the policy of unbounded conquest and rapine, the first permanent law of conscription was passed in the summer of 1798.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 2 "French Literature" to "Frost, William" by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
